Northern Ireland fans facing nervy dash to score a place at the last-16 of the Euro 2016 finals

These Northern Ireland fans at the Germany game face a hard trek to see the Wales match (Image: Nolwenn Le Gouic/Icon Sport via Getty Images)

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Loyal Northern Ireland fans face a nervy dash to score a place at the last-16 of the Euro 2016 finals - with flights and tickets being snapped up within minutes.

The Green and White Army have been the stars of the tournament off the pitch throughout the showpiece and are planning a huge airlift from Northern Ireland to 20 different European cities on a lengthy road to Paris.

Tickets for the game against Wales sold out within minutes on Thursday leaving many fans devastated at missing out on the crucial clash.

The lucky ones were last night plotting epic journeys by train, plane and automobile to make sure they are in the Parc des Princes when Northern Ireland take to the field against Wales in their biggest match for more than three decades.

Fans told how they are planning to fly to Spain, Germany and other surrounding countries before hiring cars, catching buses and hopping onto trains to travel hundreds of miles by road and rail to the French capital.

Fans’ chief Gary McAllister told Belfast Live: “As of yesterday day-trips were sold out. The price of flights is very expensive. Even flights between Paris and Manchester or Liverpool are coming in at more than 400 euros. And it’s not even paying out all that money, it’s that the flights are not available in many cases.

“The other thing is people have stayed on in France but haven’t got tickets. My advice to fans would be not to panic and to look at their different options. Look at flying into other European cities where the demand for flights is not the same.”

One fan said on Thursday afternoon: “The Uefa portal for tickets has just opened and there are no one-day trips available.

“All flights from Belfast are booked up and Dublin flights are costing a minimum of 500 euros.”

Fans only found out where their team would be playing on Wednesday night following the last games in the group stages.

Ferry operators last night said they can sail supporters from Northern Ireland the Republic into France this weekend.

A spokesman for Stena Line said: “The alternative route to France is via Stena Line’s Landbridge product which is available on all routes from Ireland (Dublin, Rosslare, Belfast) to Britain, with onward travel from Britain to Europe included in the price: Landbridge with onward travel via DFDS (Dover to Calais / Dunkirk): single lead-in fare £119 or €148 for car plus driver.

Fans endured a nerve-racking wait on Thursday when applications for the next stage of the competition opened online.

Fans who bought a special ‘Follow My Team’ ticket or single tickets for games beyond the group stages received vouchers to be handed in at the city where the games are taking place.

Those who hadn’t done so entered a ticket lottery with seats sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Not all were happy at the Uefa system for tickets for the latter stages of the compeition.

One, who has been to all three games and supported the side home and away for the past decade, fumed: “I think it’s a bit of a joke to be honest. I got mine but I have mates in the same boat who have spent a fortune and won’t get into the game.”

Anyone not getting away can watch the game at the new Fanzone at Boucher Road Playing Fields

One man hard at work on Thursday was Parc des Princes groundsman Jonathan Calderwood.

The Ballymena native beamed with pride when Northern Ireland played Germany on his pitch on Tuesday.

He was out in the baking heat yesterday preparing the surface again for a dream return of his country on his home patch.

He said it was “unbelievable” to have the Norn Iron players back and joked he was hoping for “less Ballymena weather and more Parisian sunshine” after heavy downpours ahead of the Germany clash.

Michael O’Neill’s men secured their spot in the second stages of the showpiece with a stunning 2-0 win over Ukraine followed by a battling 1-0 defeat to world champions Germany that kept their dreams alive and paved their progression.

The boss paid tribute to the Green and White Army and said his players had become the French fans’ second favourite team.

“Our players have made a good impression on everyone,” he said.

“They have a good humility, they are good lads and they’re not getting carried away with it all.

“We are shielded from the media a little but going to the games we got a lot of thumbs up from French people in our police escort. Maybe they do that for every team!

“It’s a nice thing and coming away from the ground people are glad to see how well we have done.”

Northern Ireland fans were spotted carting bags of washing to a launderette in Paris yesterday after their stay in France was extended by the players’ heroics on the pitch.